Beer Brined Turkey – Our Thanksgiving Bird

I just checked on the Turkey. I’m aware that it is only Wednesday. Yes, we are already working on our bird. Actually we’ve been working on it since Monday. This year I am thankful for the process of osmosis. Our bird currently sits submersed in a brine of beery goodness. Tomorrow we will very carefully dry it, inject it with another beer-based concoction, and then deep fry it. Yes, I will be certain the bird is very dry before I drop it in a pot of hot oil.

This year we decided to consult an expert for a recipe. Who better than Sean Paxton? For those who do not know, Sean goes by the name The Homebrew Chef. To say he is an expert when it comes to cooking with beer is a vast understatement. Simply put, he is the man.

Sean Paxton’s recipe for Beer Brined Turkey calls for a whopping 4 quarts of beer. We decided to use Lunaweizen from Elliott Bay Brewing Company. We had two reasons. First, Hefeweizen is one of the styles that Paxton suggests for the recipe and we know Lunaweizen to be an excellent Hefe. Second, Monday is half-price growler day at Elliott Bay’s West Seattle brewpub. Let’s face it, beer isn’t cheap.